The Class of 2004-05

The rise and fall of Troy Duffy, a bartender who landed a Miramax deal with his script, "The Boondock Saints." He's the flavor of the month, that is, until he starts to melt. Tony Montana and Mark Brian Smith directed.

Polar Express

Based on the haunting children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, Robert Zemeckis's film uses new computer technology to integrate live actors, including Tom Hanks (in five roles), Nona Gaye and Michael Jeter into a spectacularly imagined digital world. Among Mr. Hanks's parts is that of the 10-year-old boy who, suffering the first pangs of doubt about Santa Claus, is startled to find a vintage steam train pulling up before his suburban home on Christmas Eve. The kindly conductor (Mr. Hanks again) invites him aboard for an eventful ride to the North Pole.

Friday

After the Sunset

A dashing jewel thief (Pierce Brosnan) tries to retire to a Caribbean island with his lover and accomplice Salma Hayek, but his old nemesis, the F.B.I. agent played by Woody Harrelson, won't leave him alone. Directed by Brett Ratner of "Rush Hour."

The Big Red One

Samuel Fuller's idiosyncratic, grunt's-eye-view account of the European campaigns of World War II, was first released in a truncated version in 1980; this reconstruction of Fuller's preferred cut adds some 45 minutes of new material. Robert Carradine, Mark Hamill and Bobby DiCicco are privates under the command of Sgt. Lee Marvin.

Packing the weight back on, Renée Zellweger again incarnates the plucky heroine of Helen Fielding's chick-lit classic, "Bridget Jones's Diary." The new film begins four weeks after the last one left off, with Bridget discovering that her courtly suitor (Colin Firth) has the secret heart of a conservative. Suddenly, womanizing Hugh Grant starts to look a lot better. With Jim Broadbent and Shirley Henderson; Beeban Kidron, a critical darling of the 1990's ("Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit"), directed. A related article is on Page 4.

From Kiyoshi Kurosawa, perhaps Japan's most important contemporary filmmaker, comes an enigmatic allegory about a pair of disaffected factory workers who take to raising poisonous jellyfish.

Finding Neverland

Johnny Depp is back in Edwardian garb as J.M. Barrie, the author of "Peter Pan." Directed by Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball") and written by David Magee, the film follows the gestation of the famous children's play from Barrie's first inspiration to its opening night in 1904. Kate Winslet is the lovely widow whose relationship with her sons provides Barrie with his model for his fictional family. With Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell and Dustin Hoffman. A related article is on Page 18.

Kinsey

Bill Condon, who wrote and directed the marvelous "Gods and Monsters," returns with a biography of the pioneer sex researcher Alfred C. Kinsey. As played by Liam Neeson, he's a troubled man who pries into the sexuality of others because he doesn't fully understand his own. Laura Linney plays Kinsey's wife and collaborator; also starring Chris O'Donnell and Peter Sarsgaard. A related article is on Page 3.

La Petite Lili

The director Claude Miller's 2003 French film is a loose adaptation of Chekhov's "Seagull," transplanted to the ingrown world of the French cinema. Nicole Garcia plays a famous actress whose son (Robinson Stévinin) dreams of becoming a director. His star is his comely girlfriend (Ludovine Sagnier), though she seems more interested in Ms. Garcia's lover, an established filmmaker played by Bernard Giraudeau.

Seed of Chucky

The epic journey of Chucky, the demon-possessed doll first inflicted on the filmgoing public in Tom Holland's 1988 "Child's Play," continues with a new installment directed by Don Mancini, the series' screenwriter. Brad Dourif once again lends his voice to the homicidal homunculus; Jennifer Tilly is the voice of his tiny wife.

Who Killed Bambi

A provincial hospital is plagued by mysterious killings in a French thriller, directed by the screenwriter of "With a Friend Like Harry," Gilles Marchand. With Laurent Lucas and Sophie Quenton.

Nov. 19

Bad Education

Pedro Almodóvar backs off from his usual high stylization for a brooding account of a Catholic boyhood ruined by a priest's advances. Gael García Bernal plays three roles in the time-shifting structure, including that of a transvestite nightclub performer.

When their car breaks down in a remote village, a professional couple from Tehran get involved with the hard lives of the local residents. Alireza Raisian directed, based on a story by Iran's most famous filmmaker, Abbas Kiarostami.

Fear and Trembling

A flighty young Frenchwoman (Sylvie Testud) tries to adjust to the unfamiliar social demands of working in a Japanese office. Alain Corneau ("Tous les Matins du Monde) directed, based on a French best seller by Amélie Nothomb.

National Treasure

The Declaration of Independence turns out to be a map pointing to the location of a vast treasure hidden by the Founding Fathers. Nicolas Cage portrays a descendent of said fathers who decides to protect the map by stealing the document from the National Archives. High-concept entertainment from the producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the director John Turteltaub ("The Kid"); with Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight and Diane Kruger.

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Plenty of guest voices -- Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, David Hasselhoff, Jeffrey Tambor, Scarlett Johansson, etc., etc. -- join the highly absorbent cartoon hero and his underwater pals as they try to track down the stolen crown of King Neptune. Sherm Cohen and Stephen Hillenburg directed. A related article is on Page 15.

Nov. 24

Alexander

With a blond wig and waxed legs, Colin Farrell plays the Macedonian king who conquered a big piece of the ancient world in 300 B.C. while hesitating between the love interests Rosario Dawson and Jared Leto. With Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins and Val Kilmer; the director is Oliver Stone, who has apparently decided that greed was good, even then.

Beyond the Sea

Kevin Spacey as Bobby Darin and Kate Bosworth as Darin's wife, Sandra Dee, in a biopic directed by Mr. Spacey that is one of the more eccentric vanity projects in quite a while. With John Goodman, Bob Hoskins, Brenda Blethyn and Greta Scacchi; the multiple screenplay credits include three highly paid writers (Paul Attanasio, Lorenzo Carcaterra and James Toback), suggesting that Mr. Spacey is a finicky collaborator.

Christmas With the Kranks

John Grisham's novel "Skipping Christmas" becomes a movie with Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis as a suburban couple who decide to forgo their annual Christmas celebration until their daughter in the Peace Corps unexpectedly announces she's coming home for the holidays. With Dan Aykroyd and Cheech Marin; Joe Roth directed from a script by Chris Columbus.

Notre Musique

Jean-Luc Godard's new film applies the structure of "The Divine Comedy" to contemporary culture and politics, discovering, among other things, a Heaven guarded by the Marines. The principal setting is a conference for artists and writers in the war-weary city of Sarajevo, where a famous film director (Mr. Godard) encounters an Israeli journalist (Sarah Adler) and a Russian Jew (Nade Dieu). A related article is on Page 15.

A delayed United States release of Álex de la Iglesia's 2000 black comedy, in which a Madrid real estate agent (Carmen Maura) finds a large sum of money stashed in an apartment she's trying to rent.

Easy

An attractive single woman (Marguerite Moreau), who makes a living inventing brand names, searches for her perfect mate in a sea of losers in this romantic comedy written and directed by Jane Weinstock.

Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst

Robert Stone's documentary uses interviews and film clips to examine the 1974 kidnapping of Patty Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army and the heady ideological context that gave rise to it.

Purple Butterfly

China's It Girl, Zhang Ziyi, stars in an artsy espionage thriller set in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. She's an anti-Japanese operative who uses "Purple Butterfly" as her code name when she isn't busy longing for her lost love. Ye Lou ("Suzhou River") directed.

Straight-Jacket

Rock Hudson's double life seems to be the inspiration for this comedy about a 1950's movie star (Matt Letscher) who is forced to marry his secretary (Carrie Preston) in order to hide his homosexuality. Richard Day wrote and directed.

A Very Long Engagement

France's Jean-Pierre Jeunet tries to top the international triumph of his 2001 "Amélie," this time with a sober tale of a young Frenchwoman (Audrey Tautou) searching for her lost lover (Gaspard Ulliel) in the aftermath of World War I. The spectacular digital effects include large-scale recreations of battlefields and wartime Paris, though hardly a frame of this ambitious film has not been digitally manipulated.

December

Dec. 3

Closer

Two couples -- Natalie Portman and Jude Law, and Clive Owen and Julia Roberts -- come apart when infidelity raises its hoary head. Based on a 1997 play by Patrick Marber and directed by Mike Nichols, this is aiming for big Oscar consideration, with a battle of the sexes theme that suggests Mr. Nichols's "Carnal Knowledge." Related articles are on Pages 1 and 4.

Conspiracy of Silence

When an Irish reporter (Jason Barry) begins looking into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the suicide of a priest, higher-ups in the Roman Catholic Church get nervous. With Brenda Fricker and John Lynch; John Deery wrote and directed.

Zhang Yimou ("Raise the Red Lantern") directs this newest big-budget martial arts film from mainland China. The House of Flying Daggers is a secret society devoted to bringing down an evil regional administration under the Tang Dynasty; Zhang Ziyi is an erotic dancer who may be an agent of the revolutionaries. With Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro as policemen on her trail.

I Am David

Born and raised in a Bulgarian forced labor camp, David (Ben Tibber) plots his escape with the help of a fellow inmate (Jim Caviezel, "The Passion of the Christ"). Paul Feig, of television's "Freaks and Geeks," directed this family-oriented film from a novel by Anne Holm.

Jesus You Know

The deeply misanthropic Austrian documentary maker Ulrich Seidl ("Dog Days") turns his camera on a collection of Austrians who believe they have a personal relationship with God.

Dec. 8

Blade: Trinity

The title character, a half-human, half-vampire played by Wesley Snipes, continues his battle against the vampire underground in this third entry in the series. This time, the vampires' weapons include an attempt, presumably led by vampire media consultants, to sully Blade's name with the American public. With Kris Kristofferson, Jessica Biel and Parker Posey; David S. Goyer, who wrote the first two episodes, directs this one as well.

Born Into Brothels

The children of Calcutta's red light district, captured in a documentary by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman.

Dec. 10

Beautiful Boxer

From Thailand, the true story of Nong Toom, a professional kick boxer who fought to raise money for his sex-change operation. Ekachai Uekrongtham directed.

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

From Wes Anderson ("Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums"), another wry ensemble comedy, this time centered on a once-famous maker of underwater adventure documentaries (Bill Murray) who has fallen on hard times. The cast includes some of Mr. Anderson's regulars (Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston) as well as some newcomers (Cate Blanchett, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe). A related article is on Page 1.

Ocean's Twelve

The urbane superthief Danny Ocean (George Clooney) adds a new member to his team as he plans three simultaneous stick ups in Paris, Rome and Amsterdam. Mr. Clooney is joined by Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Matt Damon and Bernie Mac; Vincent Cassel appears as a French competitor to Danny on the international stage. Steven Soderbergh directed from a screenplay by George Nolfi.

More Asian horror, this time from Korea. Sent to live with their despised stepmother in the distant countryside, two little girls soon discover that things can get even worse: their new home is populated by predatory ghosts. Directed by Kim Ji-Won, in an evident change of pace from his popular wrestling comedy, "The Foul King."

A Talking Picture

The latest from Europe's oldest living avant-gardist, the 96-year-old Manoel de Oliveira ("I'm Going Home"). His favorite actress, Leonor Silveira, stars as a history professor taking her daughter on a tour of the Mediterranean and points east. Fellow voyagers include John Malkovich, Catherine Deneuve, Stefania Sandrelli and Irene Papas.

Dec. 15

Million Dollar Baby

Warner Brothers moved Clint Eastwood's new film from February to December after Oscar buzz began for the performances of Hilary Swank (a determined young female boxer) and Mr. Eastwood himself (a retired prizefighter turned cranky coach). Mr. Eastwood directs from a script by Paul Haggis; also starring Morgan Freeman.

Dec. 17

The Aviator

Martin Scorsese's biography of Howard Hughes reportedly uses a different film format -- from tinted black-and-white to widescreen color -- to depict each stage in the career of the legendary aviation pioneer, Hollywood producer and compulsive lady's man. The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes, Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn, Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner and Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow. John Logan ("The Last Samurai") takes the screenplay credit.

Imaginary Heroes

Dan Harris's film about a young man (Emile Hirsch) coming of age in a dysfunctional family; the drug-addicted mom is Sigourney Weaver, the heavy-drinking dad is Jeff Daniels. It's in New York for a one-week run for Oscar qualification and is scheduled to return in February.

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Several villagers from rural southern Argentina set out for the big city of San Julián, each with a private agenda. Carlos Sorin directed this sentimental comedy.

Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events

The first installment of the mordantly funny series of children's books about three helpless orphans in the clutches of an evil count (Jim Carrey) arrives on screen courtesy of the director Brad Silberling ("Moonlight Mile") and the screenwriter Robert Gordon ("Galaxy Quest"). There's a whopper cast competing for attention with the C.G.I. effects: Meryl Streep, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly, Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge, Jane Adams, Catherine O'Hara, and others. A related article is on Page 1.

Open My Heart

Giada Colagrande directed this Italian drama and stars in it as a hardened prostitute who devotes all of her attention and affection to her highly protected younger sister, only to find that the younger woman has fallen in love with her dance instructor. Operatic violence results.

The Sea Inside

The gifted Spanish actor Javier Bardem portrays the poet Ramón Sampedro, paralyzed as a result of a diving accident at the age of 29. As his life deteriorates, Sampedro fights for the right to die. The winner of the top prize at this fall's Venice Film Festival; Alejandro Amenábar ("The Others") directed. Related articles are on Pages 3 and 13.

The writer-director James L. Brooks ("Broadcast News") examines different styles of parenting through a comedy about a Mexican immigrant (the Spanish actress Paz Vega, of "Talk to Me") with a young daughter who works for an eccentric and demanding Los Angeles couple (Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni) with a difficult child of their own. Throw in Cloris Leachman as Ms. Leoni's comically alcoholic mother and you've got a premise made in sitcom heaven.

Dec. 22

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera

The director Joel Schumacher ("Phone Booth") plucked the British actor Gerard Butler from relative obscurity (he co-starred with Angelina Jolie in "Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life") to play the title role in this big-budget adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Emmy Rossum of "Mystic River" is Christine, the young singer in whom the masked Phantom takes an unhealthy interest. Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson and Minnie Driver come along for the ride. Don't look for restraint -- Mr. Schumacher is a showman.

Flight of the Phoenix

The producer William Aldrich turns a minor 1965 film by his father, Robert Aldrich, into a big-budget thriller. Led by courageous Dennis Quaid, still brushing the snow from "The Day After Tomorrow" off his shoulders, a group of survivors of a desert plane crash try desperately to reconstruct their craft from materials at hand. With Miranda Otto, Giovanni Ribisi and Tyrese Gibson.

Hotel Rwanda

Terry George, the Irish author of socially conscious screenplays including "In the Name of the Father" and "Hart's War," turns his attention to Africa, where Don Cheadle portrays a real-life hotel manager who saves more than a thousand Tutsi refugees during the Hutu attacks in Rwanda. Mr. George directed, too. With Nick Nolte and Joaquin Phoenix. A related article is on Page 13.

In the Realms of the Unreal

Jessica Yu's documentary looks at the life and work of the outsider artist Henry Darger, a Chicago janitor who created an elaborate illustrated epic about the misadventures of two disturbingly sexualized little girls.

Meet the Fockers

Jay Roach's sequel to the dark comedy "Meet the Parents" (2000) adds Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman to the original cast, playing the persnickety parents of Ben Stiller, a bridegroom-to-be. They don't hit it off right away with the parents of the bride (Teri Polo), a fiercely decorous couple, Robert De Niro (as a paranoid former C.I.A. agent) and a weirdly deferential Blythe Danner.

Dec. 24

Bride and Prejudice: The Bollywood Musical

The writer-director Gurinder Chadha, who had an international hit with "Bend It Like Beckham," transforms Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" into a musical in the inimitably unrestrained Bollywood style. The Indian superstar Aishwarya Rai ("Devdas") stars as a spoiled village girl who meets a handsome Californian, Will Darcy (Martin Henderson), at a wedding celebration. Related articles are on Pages 13 and 18.

Donkey Skin

Jacques Demy's 1970 musical adaptation of a Charles Perrault fairy tale gets a reissue; Catherine Deneuve is the princess who disguises herself as a donkey so she won't have to marry a prince she dislikes. With Jean Marais, Jacques Perrin, Micheline Presle and Delphine Seyrig.

Nicole Kassell's Sundance success goes looking for an Oscar nomination for its lead actor, Kevin Bacon, who plays a paroled child molester who hopes to begin a new life. With Benjamin Bratt and Kyra Sedgwick.

Dec. 25

Fat Albert

The "Saturday Night Live" performer Kenan Thompson slips into a fat suit to portray the star of Bill Cosby's Saturday morning cartoon of the 1970's and 90's, "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids." This live-action film was directed by Joel Zwick ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") and features Mr. Cosby in a Pirandellian cameo as himself.

Fierce People

The teenage son (Finn Earl) of a drug addict (Diane Lane) gets to discover how the other half lives when his mother is hired as a massage therapist to an eccentric millionaire (Donald Sutherland). The actor and occasional filmmaker ("Practical Magic") Griffin Dunne directed.

Dec. 29

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

Denied a federal small business loan, a vengeful salesman (Sean Penn) plots the murder of the sitting president. Naomi Watts is his dismayed wife; Don Cheadle his sympathetic best friend. Written and directed by Niels Mueller.

In Good Company

A busy year for Dennis Quaid winds up with this social comedy. He plays an advertising salesman who discovers that his young new boss (Topher Grace) is having an affair with his daughter (Scarlett Johansson). As if that weren't enough, his wife (Marg Helgenberger) tells him she's expecting again. Paul Weitz ("About a Boy") wrote and directed. A related article is on Page 3.

A Love Song for Bobby Long

Three misfits -- an alienated teenager (Scarlett Johannson), an unemployed literature professor (John Travolta) and a struggling novelist (Gabriel Macht) -- form their own therapeutic community in a tumbledown house in New Orleans. A first feature by the writer-director Shainee Gabel, based on a novel by Ronald Everett Capps.

The Merchant of Venice

Al Pacino sets out to extract his pound of flesh in a Shakespeare adaptation directed by Michael Radford ("The Postman"). The cast includes Jeremy Irons as Antonio, Joseph Fiennes as Bassanio and Lynn Collins as Portia; look for Mackenzie Crook of "The Office" in a supporting role. A related article is on Page 13.

The Upside of Anger

When her husband runs off with his secretary, Joan Allen is left to raise her daughters on her own -- no easy task when they consist of Erika Christensen, Alicia Witt, Keri Russell and Evan Rachel Wood. But Ms. Allen finds consolation and companionship with Kevin Costner, daringly stretching his range to play a retired baseball player. Mike Binder wrote and directed.

Oliver Axer and Susanne Benze's documentary explores German popular culture in the 1930's and how it strengthened the Nazi regime.

Jan. 7

White Noise

Michael Keaton as an architect who comes to believe that his dead wife (Chandra West) is talking to him through the static on his household electronic devices. Soon enough, he's being visited by spirits of the dead. Geoffrey Sax directed this thriller, which looks to have been heavily influenced by recent Japanese ghost stories.

Jan. 14

Aliens of the Deep

James Cameron ("Titanic") returns to the sea for this documentary, turning his 3-D video cameras on the strange life forms of the ocean floor.

The Chorus

Another of those pedagogical dramas that Miramax is/was addicted to: this one is a French import that finds a new teacher (the popular French comedian Gérard Jugnot) bringing hope to a gang of juvenile delinquents after World War II by introducing them to the glories of classical music. Christophe Barratier directed.

Coach Carter

Samuel L. Jackson in the true story of a Richmond, Calif., high school basketball coach with a get-tough attitude: he forces his players to maintain passing grades, and even wear ties on game days. Directed by the television veteran Thomas Carter, who also directed "Save the Last Dance."

Elektra

A sort of sequel to the comic book adventure "Daredevil," with Jennifer Garner returning, this time as a bustier-clad professional assassin. She finds herself falling for the family man (Goran Visnjic) she's been assigned to kill. The "X-Files" veteran Rob Bowman directs.

Racing Stripes

A baby zebra with the voice of Frankie Muniz grows up to become a champion racer under the guidance of a farmer (Bruce Greenwood) and his young daughter (Hayden Panettiere). Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg and Snoop Dogg also contribute their vocal talents to this combination of live action and computer animation, directed by Frederick du Chau.

Jan. 21

Assault on Precinct 13

Reversing tradition, here's a French-produced remake of an American movie: namely, John Carpenter's 1976 low-budget classic about an isolated police station under siege. Jean-François Richet, a specialist in urban thrillers (the film "Ma 6-T Va Crack-er"), directs an English-speaking cast that includes Ethan Hawke, Laurence Fishburne and Maria Bello.

The grand prize winner of the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival, Fatih Akin's film concerns a marriage of convenience between Germans of Turkish descent, and what happens when the husband (Birol Ünel) begins taking their vows seriously. A related article is on Page 13.

Hostage

A retired hostage negotiator (Bruce Willis) is forced to take up his old profession once again when three hapless teenagers invade the home of a mob accountant (Kevin Pollak) and take him prisoner. From the French action director Florent Emilio Siri ("The Nest"), based on a novel by Robert Crais.

Milk and Honey

Joe Maggio, the writer-director of the interesting 2001 indie "Virgil Bliss," returns with another dark tale of New York life, this one about a couple (Clint Jordan and Kirsten Russell) on the brink of collapse.

Walk on Water

A Mossad agent assigned to assassinate an elderly German war criminal befriends the man's gay grandson and worries that he might not be able to complete his mission. Eytan Fox, of "Yossi and Jagger," directed this Israeli film.

Watermarks

Yaron Zilberman's documentary tells the story of a swim team for Jewish women, founded in Vienna in 1909 after Jews were banned from Austrian sports clubs. The team, Hakoah, went on to dominate Austrian swimming competitions in the 1930's, before the Nazi annexation of Austria forced its end.

Jan. 28

Are We There Yet?

Trying to impress his new girlfriend (Nia Long), Ice Cube agrees to take her two bratty kids on a 350-mile road trip. Jay Mohr contributes to the hilarity as Ice Cube's best friend; Brian Levant ("Snow Dogs," "Beethoven") directed.

D.E.B.S.

The writer-director Angela Robinson recreates her own short film as a feature, starring Jordana Brewster, Sara Foster, Meagan Good and Jill Ritchie as high school cheerleaders who are recruited as members of a secret crime-fighting organization led by Michael Clarke Duncan. Careful, girls, it's a crowded field these days.

Fascination

Adam Garcia plays a wealthy young man who begins to suspect that his mother (Jacqueline Bisset) and her new boyfriend (Stuart Wilson) may have been behind the mysterious swimming accident that killed his father. His suspicions are fueled by the boyfriend's own mysterious daughter (Alice Evans). Klaus Menzel wrote and directed this German production with an English-speaking cast.

"Everybody Loves Raymond" meets "The King of Queens" as the respective stars of those two sitcoms, Ray Romano and Kevin James, portray rival door-to-door meat salesmen in the San Fernando Valley. Jason Ensler directed, making the transition from television ("Martha, Inc.").

Hide and Seek

Robert De Niro plays a psychologist disturbed to discover that his 9-year-old daughter (Dakota Fanning, of "Man on Fire") has responded to the recent death of her mother by inventing an imaginary playmate: a sinister figure named Charlie who orders her to do very bad things. A promising cast includes Dylan Baker, Famke Janssen, Melissa Leo and Robert John Burke; John Polson ("Swimf@n") directed.

From Hirokazu Kore-eda, the Japanese director of "After Life," a tale of four young children who must take care of themselves when their mother disappears. The young star, Yuya Yagira, won the best-actor award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.